CRO FOREIGN MINISTRY HANDS PROTEST NOTE TO YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR

( Editorial: --> 2291 ) ZAGREB, June 18 (Hina) - Following the tragic deaths of two Croatian policemen, the Croatian Foreign Ministry on Thursday handed a protest note to the Yugoslav Ambassador in Zagreb. The Ministry most strongly condemns the crime which represents the gravest violation of the border area since the signing of the Agreement on the Normalisation of Relations between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Ministry expressed hope for consistent work of the Yugoslav judicial bodies as well as for adequate punishment for the perpetrators, the Ministry's spokesman Zeljko Trkanjec said. On behalf of his government, the Yugoslav Ambassador Veljko Knezevic strongly condemned the crime stressing that the murders represented an isolated case. Knezevic expressed hope that the tragic event would not have a negative effect on the further development of Croatian-Yugoslav relations. (hina) rml 182252 MET jun 98